Distributor removed without marking / Engine won't start now
 

I have a 2000 Ram 1500 with the 5.2L engine.

The engine ran perfect before throwing a rod thru the block. I found a short block in good condition and did a quick refresh job with new rings, bearings, double roller timing set, oil pump, etc.

I now have the engine back in the truck but can't get it to start. I haven't done any work like this in quite a few years and wasn't aware of the distributor controlling the fuel sync. until it was too late. I was thinking old school and just pulled the distributor from the old engine, replaced cap and rotor, and then stabbed it in the new engine.

I have been trying to find the step by step proceedure to install the distributor and get the engine running good enough to get it to the dealer to get the fuel sync set properly.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :icon_frown:

I'll bet the distributor is 180 out.

Grab the Factory Service Manual. The correct procedure is in there. It is for the 01 model year, but, will be VERY close to what you have.

Agree with zman.
Happend once to me on my old 5.0
spent too much time thinking 'no way i put it in 180* off, what could be wrong?'

......ooops

I don't get it. Correctly aligning a distributor in a FI motor is no different than an "old school" carbureted engine. In no case can you just plunk the thing in whichever way you want. Just align the balancer mark when #1 is on the compression stroke, and stick the dist. in with the rotor pointing to the #1 nipple position.

And make sure you have it wired right. Clockwise, 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2

Just do what I said above. There's nothing to calibrate beyond that. If the distributor is too far off, it'll throw a CMP/CKP correlation code.

i agre with this....it can be as hardf as you want it, or as easy as you want it...this will take you about 20 mins. to do....

Thanks for all of the quick input.

It's not 180 out, that's one of the first things I thought of.

Firing order is correct.

Actually there is quite a bit of difference between "old school" carb set ups and this. With the carb motor you're only dealing with ignition timing, with this system you're obviously dealing with both the ignition and the fuel system and both have to be in sync with one another.

On the carb engines you can in fact drop the distributor in any old way as long as the main shaft lines up. No need to mark or worry about what position the housing is in, no worries about what position any sensor is in. After it's in, rotate the housing till it fires and set timing with a timing light or even by ear in a pinch. No need to ever remove a plug, go to top dead center, etc. I've done this countless times on my former drag car as well as countless others without ever pulling a plug or ending up 180 out. In fact it's impossible to be 180 out as long as the distributor has room to be rotated a full 360 deg. It is much quicker and there's no difference in performance. With my 5.2 that cannot be done due to the fuel sync. On the "old school" engines you didn't need a several thousand dollar machine to set the distributor correctly, just a timing light.

Any way I believe I found the problem. I started to check everything out more thoroughly tonight and found the compression was weak. I also pulled the valve cover off the left bank and the valve timing seemed off a good bit so I pulled the front off to get to the timing set. Seems the timing set was marked incorrectly, valve timing is way off. I wish I would've degreed the thing, would've saved a lot of time and work.

I'm going to get a factory service manual like Hey You suggested, much better than the typical Haynes / Chilton.

Thanks again to all for your help and your time.

Thanks for all of the quick input.

It's not 180 out, that's one of the first things I thought of.

Firing order is correct.

Actually there is quite a bit of difference between "old school" carb set ups and this. With the carb motor you're only dealing with ignition timing, with this system you're obviously dealing with both the ignition and the fuel system and both have to be in sync with one another.

On the carb engines you can in fact drop the distributor in any old way as long as the main shaft lines up. No need to mark or worry about what position the housing is in, no worries about what position any sensor is in. After it's in, rotate the housing till it fires and set timing with a timing light or even by ear in a pinch. No need to ever remove a plug, go to top dead center, etc. I've done this countless times on my former drag car as well as countless others without ever pulling a plug or ending up 180 out. In fact it's impossible to be 180 out as long as the distributor has room to be rotated a full 360 deg. It is much quicker and there's no difference in performance. With my 5.2 that cannot be done due to the fuel sync. On the "old school" engines you didn't need a several thousand dollar machine to set the distributor correctly, just a timing light.

Any way I believe I found the problem. I started to check everything out more thoroughly tonight and found the compression was weak. I also pulled the valve cover off the left bank and the valve timing seemed off a good bit so I pulled the front off to get to the timing set. Seems the timing set was marked incorrectly, valve timing is way off. Manufacturers defect, I'll try a new gear set and go from there. I wish I would've degreed the thing, would've saved a lot of work.

I'm going to get a factory service manual like Hey You suggested, much better than the typical Haynes / Chilton.

Thanks again to all for your time.

did you see that this was a link to a 01 manual ?
just download it for free.

If the ignition timing is right, so is injector timing. The position of #1 on the distributor cap relative to the cam sensor inside the distributor housing isn't adjustable. It ain't rocket science, and you certainly don't need a "several thousand dollar machine" to properly install a distributor in a Magnum engine.

Plunking the distributor and rotating it while a buddy cranks until the thing fires is pretty redneck, and a good way to blow out a carb with a serious backfire. But do as you please, it's your money.

And not that it couldn't happen, but I've never encountered an improperly marked timing sprocket for any domestic push rod engine, regardless of source. Sounds like maybe skipping that TDC alignment step caused you to put the crank sprocket on the wrong woodruff key slot. Most have three.